Red Strings
by VoltageStone
Summary: An unbreakable red string connects the two soulmates of one soul. Most of the time it is easy to accept that fate, however there are certain instances when it isn't. Jade West soon found hers and she isn't very pleased to say the least; at least, not at the beginning. One-Shot (Jori) -Rated T for Some Language-


_Hello, another one-shot. Uh...I was watching some YouTube videos and this idea went 'bing!' So, naturally, I'm gonna write it. And why am I writing this now? Well, you see, I need to distract myself from this one thing in order to focus on another thing, if that makes sense. Whatever, I'm just going to do this because, yeah._

 _Now with the red string idea, I'm just going to kind of put my own spin to it, but it may look similar (unintentionally, I just looked over the finished product) to the few videos I watched because I really liked them. So if you find the videos (I can't remember their titles) do enjoy them, hopefully. There we go._

 _Hope you enjoy it!_

 _:)_

* * *

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet,  
regardless of time, place, and circumstance.  
The thread may stretch or tangle,  
but it will never break..."  
-Ancient Chinese Proverb

* * *

 _ **No One's Perspective**_ _ **-**_

"Alright, class. Class! Settle down now everybody," the teacher coaxed, her arms raising gently as the little rascals turned their heads. "Come on now," she gestured towards the center of the room where a patched rug lay, "We have a very important lesson today."

"But Miss Anne," a small boy with fiery red hair raised his chubby palms, "What about that girl?"

The teacher's brows furrowed as she tilted her head, her long platinum hair falling to her left shoulder. "Who are you talking about Fabian?" Miss Anne asked as the other children sat crisscrossed on the rug.

"The one who punched Jack," he pointed towards another boy, whos curly, shaggy hair covered a black eye.

"She'll come in a few minutes once the principal has spoken to her, she'll catch up," the teacher answered hesitantly, not wanting to start the lesson without anybody absent. "Sit down now, we'll wait if we have to." Just as her sentence was said, the classroom door opened with a creak, a balding man with narrow glasses guiding a small, lanky girl. Her gaze was fixed to the ground, hands playing relentlessly at her clean cut, long emerald dress. Large hands briefly patted down at the top of her head, the girl grimacing slightly as it hit her headband.

Pale eyes momentarily blinked up before darting back down. "Jade!" a perky girl giggled, long brunette hair falling on her sun-kissed skin.

"Cat, quiet down," the teacher chuckled, "She'll come." Brushing the advice aside, the door closed behind the tall man as Jade stalked her way quietly towards the hyperactive child, seating herself beside her.

"Hi Jade! The teacher is going to tell us stuff," she grinned excitedly; the pale girl merely nodded slowly. All eyes glided their way towards the young woman, who beamed at her small class.

"Okay herd," she grinned toothily, pitiful eyes resting on the quiet, unsmiling girl beside her giddy friend, "Today we'll discuss our red strings. Does anybody know what that is? Yes Fabian?"

Eyes rested on the chubby hand coming down, the boy clearing his throat. "My mom said that is when a girl and a boy have a string and they find each other and then they marry," he shifted innocently, green eyes watching Miss Anne intently.

"Along the lines of that, yes," she nodded, "Though there are a few other things too. Good answer Fabian." The red-haired boy bowed his head eagerly, picking it up once again. Jade shifted in her seat uncomfortably, her eyes darting along her body anxiously before they slid back to Miss Anne. "Now, no one interrupt," she warned before continuing, "Souls before and after life know everything since there is no time where they live. However, they all sometimes break apart in two pieces, the pieces becoming too heavy for the heavens. So, they fall onto the earth and then people are born. The goal of everybody's life is to find their soulmate before they die in order to go back up to the heavens."

"What if they don't by the time they die?" a short girl raised her hand.

Miss Anne halted in her sentence before twisting around softly. "Jessica? What did I just say?"

"Sorry," she twirled her darker hair, "I was just curious."

"Well," the woman bit her bottom lip, "It is a good question nonetheless. If you don't find your soulmate by the end, then you just are reborn to try again." The little girl nodded, looking at Miss Anne to continue. "Now, when we are alive, we have a red string tied around us. Only we can see it. Usually, it starts around the ankle because you haven't associated or accepted them yet. However, once it ties itself around your ring finger, that means you have found and accepted your soulmate.

"You guys all caught up?" she looked around. Everybody nodded except for the pale, dressed girl who gazed at her ankles with distaste. "Alright, now there are sometimes phantom strings where someone sees a red string attached to them and connects to a different person, though they aren't soulmates. This usually identifies important people that they have to have in their lives but many confuse it with soulmates. Now do you have all of that?" Nobody made any sign or effort to prove otherwise, so the woman nodded. "Any questions?" she asked, in spite of herself. Out of the twenty or so children, only two raised their hand. "Yes Cat?"

"Can I dye my hair the color of my string?"

"Uh..." Miss Anne smirked, "Why not? I'd actually like to see that..." As the bubbly girl giggled, she turned around before her eyes landed on Jade's hand. "Yes Jade?"

"What if," she started in her natural husk, her voice silencing the room as it always had. After all, she didn't speak all that often. "What if you don't have a string?"

If the room was silent before, it was as if the classroom was a graveyard after. Everybody turned their heads towards the young girl, who dropped her gaze back to the floor, eyes starting to burn. "Who doesn't have a string?" a boy snorted, immediately stripping pale eyes from the tiled floor. They glared angrily at the curly-haired boy, piercing right through his rash comment.

"I'll add another black eye, how 'bout that?" Jade sneered menacingly, causing Jack to whimper, a hand clutching his eye.

"Enough," the young woman barked, her pale, blue eyes lingering over the two, "Jade, don't threaten people. But, to your question, I wouldn't worry right now because you're so young. In time it will appear, perhaps when you met the person. It doesn't always appear when you haven't. Now, there are some people who also never get strings because the other half of the soul isn't born yet. And besides," she added as an afterthought, "You have the right to not go after the person at the end of the string. It's preferred, but optional."

"Do you have a string Miss Anne?" Fabian asked curiously.

"I do, but mine came a lot later in life," she smiled genuinely, though it didn't tame Jade's anxiousness. If anything, it only made it worse. Legs bent as her head buried itself in its knees, arms wrapping around them.

"Jade? It's okay," Cat whispered quietly.

"You have a string right?"

"Around my ankle but, it's fine. You heard Miss Anne, you just have to wait," she murmured. Jade shook her head miserably, her best friend sighing; she knew how life was at the West manor, and it was everything but loving.

 **- Ten Years Later-**

"Jade, Jade!" he yelled, dropping his hands to his side as black, combat boots stormed away.

"Fuck off Beck!" she snapped, "I said I wasn't apologizing!" He groaned tiredly, shaking his head as his girlfriend stomped through the parking lot, the red string around his ring finger catching his eye. Knowing his responsibilities, he followed anyway, darting through the small crowd of freshman who waited for their individual rides.

As Beck jogged across the road, ensuring the car that turned the corner wouldn't have to wait for him, he sighed, "Yes you do Jade! I don't care if she pissed you off, you don't dump coffee on a new student's head!"

In a flash, she spun around, pointing an accusatory finger at his chest, his strides stumbling to a halt. "Well she shouldn't have touched your shirt."

"She spilled coffee all over it and was trying to wipe it off! It was an accident, besides," his voice dropped to a sultry one, "We're together. We're soulmates, right?" Pale eyes shifted to the ground nervously, dark eyes wondering behind her back where the red string tied around his finger led. He smiled genuinely, pulling her to a hug before closing his eyes. He had always thought it was funny how the string always hid itself behind her back, reaching for her other ring finger.

"Yeah, soulmates," Jade muttered lamely, eyes fixated on the ground.

"You going to apologize tomorrow?"

"No," she snapped, pulling away from his grasp.

"Well, you'll be here tomorrow, right?" the Canadian muttered curiously, grinning as she nodded. "Well, see you tomorrow then!" he waved, turning around before he marched towards his truck. A black ford blinked as she led her strides towards it, her fist yanking the door open as a bag was tossed to the other seat. She sneered at the steering wheel, the image of dark eyes behind her long bangs and caramel skin with _her_ boyfriend shrouding her thoughts. As a key turned the ignition, Jade cringed, her ankle still itchy since fourth period. Pushing it to the back of her mind, hoping it would just go away as she drove, the car rolled off the parking lot and onto the streets.

Her eyes wondered along the multiple buildings, lingering over the coffee shop before she shook her head gruffly. _'Homework first,'_ her thoughts hesitantly admitted. Soon enough, the car halted on gravel, the engine shutting off. Jade breathed deeply, now extremely irritated at the itching ankle. Several times along the way she had rubbed the side as best she could at the red lights. Growling, she yanked off her combat boot before her fingers reached down.

Jade froze, feeling a soft material tied tightly around it. Her gaze darted down quickly before her eyes widened. There, around her ankle, was red, fuzzy yarn. Her head tilted to the side, eyes flickering back and forth intently before two words dawned on her. _'Red string...'_

In the silence of her car, she frowned, her mind flicking through the several people she had met that day. There was no one. Not one person she had met that day. Well, except-

"No," she snarled, a flash of silver appearing in her hands before the blades made their way to the string. In one motion, she let out a soft cry, dropping the long scissors as her hands clasped around her pale ankle, blood smearing along her fingertips. " _Fucking hell_ ," she cursed, a shaking hand picking up the blades by the handle. Ignoring the red at the edges, she carefully opened the silver, surrounding the red string before snipping.

The string merely went through it.

"What!" she bellowed inside her car. Her head shook before her forehead met the steering wheel. Not one, not three, but seven honks at the West manor's driveway was heard, angrily calling out its anguish. Grudgingly, she staggered from her car minutes later, limping her way towards the tall, maple doors.

 **-(:)-**

Her eyes narrowed at her folded hands, jaw clenching subtly while steps glided behind her. "Well, Tori, it was just your first day. And who knows," Holly grinned genuinely as her daughter picked up her gaze, "Maybe you two will become friends. You've always been able to do so."

"I doubt it," she sighed, crestfallen before her mother went up the stairs.

"I'm going to get ready for the officer promotion tonight," Mrs. Vega announced, "I'll probably leave in, about, an hour. Honey, don't worry about this girl, she's just jealous."

Rolling her eyes, the youngest Vega chuckled, muttering a soft 'okay' before plopping herself on the couch. With the remote in her hand, the television flicked on, presenting a Looney Tunes skit. Shifting in her seat, the half-Latina gripped her shoes, sliding them off while eyes remained attached to Bugs Bunny bolting from one tree to another, avoiding shotgun shells. She stifled a chuckle while shoving off the second shoe, brows furrowing as her fingers rubbed the side of her foot.

"Tori? Where's that yellow blouse that you got a few weeks ago?" a voice sounded at the top of the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Tori growled crossly; she never admired her sister's fashion sense that required for her clothes to be used.

"Friend's house," Trina deadpanned, "Now can I have the blouse?"

"Why-" dark eyes flickered swiftly towards her ankle before widening. Her heart thudded aggressively against her chest, stopping everything around her, even if Trina babbled on and on about the perfect cut of the shirt and how well it would look good on her. Nothing else mattered, really, except the sudden, red string tied around her right ankle.

"And besides," her sister continued, ignorant of the sudden silence, "you would have to stuff your bra in order for it to actually work on you...not that I don't, I really need to call the doctor to see if- are you even listening?" She swiveled around, eyes falling on the frozen figure at the couch. Her mouth moved impatiently, her strides stamping over towards the younger sister. Darker eyes darted between the similar's gaze and the hand that gripped her ankle. Her sister glanced up, locking her intent, bewildered and yet ecstatic stare as the gears behind Trina's eyes started to move. "Your string..." she whispered softly, the younger sibling looking back down at her leg. "Your- _your string_... Y-you mean you have one now?"

"Uh, yeah, yes I mean, I do. I have- I have my string," Tori jumped to her feet, "I have my string!"

"You have your string!" Trina began prancing around, her pigeon steps - or hops rather - following Tori's lanky ones. "Who do you think with?" she halted, gripping her sister's elbows.

"I- I don't know..." she mumbled.

Biting her bottom lip, the other suggested, "Andrew?"

" _Andre_ ," the younger sister corrected before sighing, "And no, he said he's had his for a really long time but they must be over seas. That's what he said anyway, I didn't talk much about my situation."

"How about the puppet kid?"

"Robbie? No, I don't think so anyway," Tori shrugged.

"Beck?"

"His soulmate's Jade."

"Huh... Well, you'll find out tomorrow," she grinned. All Tori could do was nod enthusiastically before bolting upstairs, avoiding her sister's pleas for the blouse. She couldn't contain herself. It was a moment she had been waiting for a long time.

 **-(:)-**

Her eyes darted amongst the crowd, constantly falling back towards the red string that lay casually on the ground. She heaved a sigh, mentally noting to herself that a) she wasn't a stalker and b) there was still time in the school day. Taking the two as motivation, Tori strode towards her plain locker, shuffling through the numbers. "Two, twenty-four, two," she hummed under her breath, grinning as it opened without hesitation. The half-Latina placed the lone book she was able to receive the day prior, which sat on the bottom shelf to wait until after lunch.

Breathing deeply, she twisted herself until her back closed the metal door, her dark, rust-colored eyes shifting throughout the crowd's shuffling feet. It was odd how the string would become even invisible to _her_ if any piece of clothing covered it. She enjoyed the sight of it, though, deciding to wear some lower cut vans in order for the long, red string to show. It was odd, too, to Tori, how the string didn't mind the other steps, instead just laying there as if they did nothing. _'But I suppose it's to be only seen by me and the boy at the end...'_ the Vega thought to herself. However, as she set her gaze on the tile floor, her mind reeled intensely at this unfamiliar feeling which crept at her gut. She grimaced at the sudden queasiness, her eyes becoming unfocused as she thought of all the possibilities.

Her mind flicked through every possible she could think of, all leading back to the string. _'Perhaps I just saw him at the hallway?'_ she guessed to herself, _'Or maybe he really is in my new friend group...'_ Tori sighed bitterly to herself. Her body trembled suddenly, the string sliding against the tiled floor. Dark eyes followed the red line all the way until it faded into black converse, the ankle covered in a bandage.

Tori's eyes slid up to meet the familiar, cold stare. She could feel as the color drained from her face, her thoughts immediately bargaining on the hope that the person what right behind her and the string was just going through. However, that hope immediately dissipated once her pale eyes followed the string exactly to Tori's ankle before meeting dark eyes once more. Holding a rash finger up, Jade mouthed 'Burn in hell,' before slamming the locker door, striding though the hall behind her.

Grimacing, the half-Latina slid her back against the lockers, sinking down until her form crumpled on the floor. Hugging her knees, she hissed to herself, "Great, and the soulmate that I have wants to rip me apart even more..."

 **-(:)-**

Muttering strange strings of vile curses under her breath, Tori lashed out at the red string, falling over once again at her third attempt to untie it. "What the hell are you doing?" her sister barked from the kitchen, watching with wide eyes since the few minutes prior.

"I-need-to-get-this-damned-string-off-my-ankle," the younger Vega stammered through gritted teeth.

"Wait, what?" Trina's face contorted into a curious one, her limbs maneuvering over towards Tori, "You want it off? You just had it for a day. You can't take it off!"

"But I want to!" she snapped.

Seating herself slowly on the couch, the eldest watched as her sister tumbled over again, eagles spread on the floor. "You done there?" she asked with her right eyebrow raised.

"For now," came a gruff answer.

"Now- hold on, who's on the other side?" Her brows stitched themselves together as Trina leaned forward, not able to catch the soft, bitter scowl. "What?"

"Jade!" Tori snapped wearily, "It's, uh...her..."

"What do you mean by 'Jade?'"

"What do you think?" Trina merely dropped her gaze, running her hands through her hair. There was nothing to say, at least from her assumption. The room remained quiet like the unspoken promise to have Tori's string remain a secret.

 **- Five Months Later-**

Pale eyes glared at the red string, though her fingers still played with it relentlessly. It was the only time she could touch the yarn, when she had 'accepted' it. Her brows furrowed before leaning back, hand running through her raven hair. Growling, she pulled the covers to her shoulders, scoffing before closing her eyes.

 _"Jade, why are we arguing? There's no reason!" Beck sighed impatiently._

 _"Why are you looking at other girls then?" Jade snapped._

 _"I wasn't!"_

 _"Sure, they all follow you around like little puppies," she snorted, folding her arms._

 _"Maybe because they think they could do better than you, Jade! You've been arguing with me relentlessly. We're supposed to be soulmates, alright?"_

She blinked rapidly, staring at the desk beside her bed. Eyes burned, threatening to water even more. Twisting around, Jade wrapped her arms around herself, biting her bottom lip. "Tori isn't mine...Beck's supposed to be," she chanted to herself, though the string rubbed against her ankle as a retort.

 **-(:)-**

"Come _on_ Trina..." Tori growled softly, "I told you I was going to be out five minutes later, not five hours." The sun only set on her exposed skin in response, her eyes blinking uncomfortably. For the second time that week her last class, Algebra 4, had let her out late. Not by a lot, just a few minutes. Of course, the older Vega sister had left by then, only to be called back for another twenty minute drive.

"Hey Tori!" Cat walked with a bounce in her step, "Your ride's not here yet?" As the half-Latina shook her head with a sigh, the redhead nodded. "Mine either, but my mom said she had to drop my brother off at the hospital. He ate one of his toy dinosaurs. It's at least a foot long."

"Is he fine?"

"I dunno, he's been insane for a while now."

"No, I mean...well, I guess that would be the proper answer," the singer mumbled.

Few of the cars left in the parking lot rolled off the property, the one or two that were left being faculty members on a lazy Friday. "Hey, Tori? I've never heard you talk about your string before," Cat hummed at the sudden realization. "Do you have one?"

"Yeah," she answered before she could stop herself, "But I just got it not too long ago..."

"Really?" the redhead breathed, "Jade didn't have one for the longest time either. I remember in first grade we were learning about strings and she was the only one in the class without one. That was also the day I decided to dye my hair," she grinned from the nostalgia. "Jade didn't tell me who it was...anyways, who's at your end?"

"I dunno," Tori lied, "I'm just focusing on my singing for now."

"Alright, oh! Here's my mom. Bye Tori!" she waved, striding towards the sleek, red van.

Tori waved back, feeling her phone in her pocket. Once she pulled it out, she immediately growled, " _Bitch_ ," in retaliation, the screen illuminating her face.

 **Trina- You're gonna have to walk home. I saw these new shoes on sale. ;D**

 **-(:)-**

Her eyes narrowed at her cards, constantly flicking over the colorless joker towards the end. The house was still too quiet to be joyful, though the lighthearted jokes that made an effort to lift the uncomfortable silence persisted. "Uh, two Jack's," Beck murmured, maneuvering his card with Trina still clinging to his shoulder.

"BS," Andre hummed, flipping the two Jack's from the pile. "Damn," he added, adding the pile to his set of cards, "I only had three left."

The half-Latina's lips stuck together from the absence of talking, the others taking their time to settle into the atmosphere with their concentrated stares darting between the cards and the pile. "One Queen," Trina muttered, placing one card down in the center of the table. The thespian's voice counted down over and over in her mind, Beck's hand resting on the door handle, not opening.

In a flash, Tori shook images from her mind, attempting to focus on the game being played to no avail. Her skin prickled against the collar of her shirt at the thought of Jade's bare skin against hers- "Three Kings," Robbie muttered before Rex called two aces.

Cat's voice then was muffled behind the thoughts that buzzed around Tori's skull, unceasing as she bit the inside of her cheek. Her right hand, which rested under the table, balled to a trained fist, reminding her of the heart-broken teen right beside her. Andre placed his cards down before the rest looked at her expectantly, dark eyes blinking while she counted through the cards. "Two fours," she muttered, placing down the colorless joker and a seven calmly.

"BS," Andre called, his eyes flickering over his huge set of cards, three fours among them.

Breathing deeply, the half-Latina reached out before her eyes widened just slightly, hand frozen. Her stare burned towards her ring finger, where the red string had just tied itself comfortably. Shaking her head, she took the deck, her eyes momentarily meeting Trina's knowing gaze. She dropped it after a few seconds before she followed the string to the floor, around the couch and under the front door.

 **- One Week Later-**

The heavy door closed behind black combat boots, pale eyes shifting curiously around the darkened room. Her gaze flashed briefly over the lamp which was usually lit when she came home. Shaking her head, Jade strode through the house, marching her way to the basement - to her den. Once steps stalked their way through the living room, kitchen and half of the family room, she halted with her hands around the cold, metal doorknob.

The soft smacking stopped behind the couch, figures shuffling as she turned her head. "What's she doing here?" a blonde girl whispered to the boy beside her, hair fluffier than usual.

"Oh nothing," he spat, "My sister is just wallowing at the fact her string's broken."

"Shut it," she snarled lowly, "It's not broken."

Blue eyes rolled, unamused by the answer before growling, "Well why is that dude not with you anymore?"

"We weren't soulmates and my string isn't broken," Jade grumbled, opening the door.

"Soul-digger," he scoffed before slinking back from view as the girl did the same, the soft smacking continuing as boots stormed down the steps. Her teeth grit once she had sat down on her couch, burning eyes fixated on the ground. Quietly, she pulled the combat boots off, her fingers playing with the soft, red yarn softly. It was still around her ankle, though she had recalled vividly the string around _her_ ring finger.

Dark eyes played in her mind amongst the confused buzz. Everything was working so hard to be solved and yet nothing was completed. It was all a jumbled mess, and she couldn't take it. Furiously she cursed under her breath, feeling hot tears roll down her cheeks. The string slithered around softly, its knot growing tighter, causing her to hiss.

It hurt. She was tugging relentlessly at her heart while the rest of the world yanked back. She smiled gingerly as she stepped towards her obliterated locker, while the rest of the world merely ogled at the new, single West. She had her string on her finger, and yet the rest of the world kept the other end down at her ankles like a shackle.

Closing her eyes as she curled underneath the rough quilt, Jade forced herself to sleep that night, only wanting the war to end. _'Why can't you stop fighting Jade?'_ her thoughts snapped angrily, their own eyes burning, _'The string may not be broken, but you are...'_

"Fuck off," she whimpered to herself, twisting over before burying her face into the cushions.

 **- One Month Later-**

Pale eyes brushed over the street lights, focusing solely on the red that had then flickered to green. Remaining separate from the babble beside and behind her, she ran her hand through her soaked hair, which had been drying irrationally with street corner she had turned. From the rear view mirror, Jade rolled her eyes as Cat tucked the fat hamster in her jacket. "Hey, if that rat suffocates, make sure you stuff it in the trunk with the plastic feet," Jade hummed, smirking as the redhead's mouth dropped in horror.

" _Jade_ ," Tori snapped, whacking the thespian's arm, "The hamster is cold, she's just warming it up."

"I was just giving advice..." she mumbled briefly, halting at yet another red light. Dropping the conversation from before, the half-Latina fixed her attention to the road ahead, Cat giggling as Fat Santa snuggled against her chest. Once the topless car rolled itself back onto the highway, the occasion announced by a faint 'wee' from the back, Jade's brows furrowed in concentration. The wheels gained speed, matching those around them, as Jade signaled her way towards the pool lane.

Clearing her throat, she shifted in the worn seat before dark eyes caught her eye in the center mirror. She flickered her attention back momentarily, glancing against her internal instinct to drive without distractions. Dark, brunette hair fell wildly from the prior rainfall. Caramel skin almost glowed against the car lights whistling past, the half-Latina's eyes darting with the cars aside them. Her cold stare shifted immediately back to the road, her cheeks flushing just slightly.

Her fingers flex once a soft warmth wrapped around her ring finger. The red strand dragged Jade's sight away from the road for a fraction of a second, her teeth clenching to suppress what could have been a soft smile. Beside her, dark eyes wondered back towards the pale thespian, lingering on the ring finger gripping the steering wheel. Tori, however, couldn't suppress her grin, thus drifting her view towards the side mirror.

Cat held the hamster in her hands, smiling as it nibbled on her nose.

 **-(:)-**

"Nozu is closed! You two get out, out!" the woman snapped, her glare lingering over Tori as she grinned sheepishly.

"Thanks for letting us-"

"Out!" she hollered, ushering the two teens towards the exit.

Jade shook her head, shrugging on her leather jacket before walking on. "Jesus, the woman will not forget about that..."

"Well," the half-Latina sighed, "We did kind of leave her daughter dangling from the ceiling."

"She wore a safety belt," Jade growled, kicking a stray rock as their steps made their way to the parking lot.

The light poles bathed the few cars in a bright orange light, the moths dancing around the bulbs. Some cars had sped past on the streets, taking pale eyes with them momentarily before Tori cleared her throat. "I-uh...had a good time...with you and..."

Jade only remained silent, her strides making their way towards her car which had waited patiently much longer than she had initially wanted to. "Erm, sure. Do you-" she stopped, dark eyes surveying her curiously, "Do you need a ride home?"

"Probably," she chuckled, following Jade's strides more closely, "Trina would've been here by now if she remembered..." Jade nodded slowly, fist clenching as her eyes darted along the ground. Her hand gripped the passenger door that faced the restaurant before opening it, Tori halting with a small grin. "You know, usually it's the gentleman opening the door for the lady," she smirked, stepping to the open door.

"Who said I was doing this because of the play?" Jade's voice barely left her throat, pale eyes meeting dark rust. The half-Latina only chuckled before a hand gripped her arm, not allowing her to slip inside. She felt her cold hand grip her cheek before Jade leaned in, soft lips against her own. Hers moved slowly with them, her own hand holding Jade's jaw. Both leaned back, letting the singer seat herself in the car while the door was shut and Jade sat on the other side.

She turned the ignition, the engine rumbling. "Hey, it's kinda late and some of the streets are a bit sketchy between our neighborhoods...d'you want to stay over at my place?" Tori grinned, her eyes sliding to meet Jade's studded eyebrow over her other one from the glove department. The half-Latina shrugged as the thespian bit her bottom lip in thought.

"Sure..." she mumbled before adding, "And Vega, get your fucking seatbelt on."

"Alright Nancy," Tori retorted, slipping the belt until it clicked.

* * *

Wow, this was a bit longer than I had anticipated...even though all the parts are little snippets of the time together. Oh well. Alrighty then, now to actually do what I'm supposed to do and write Light...

Hope you enjoyed!

:D


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